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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · ground · squash · stand · cap · toast · pop · stem

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pop — soda
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stand — to bear
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cap — a lid
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com